It is just revenue raising by the government. They don't even care about road safety they just care how much money they get. Annoys the hell out of me.

The biggest factor to the road toll as far as I'm concerned is nothing more than attitude. Respect and any form of patience toward other drivers on our roads has gone to the dogs over the last few years.

I am fed up with people thinking that:

1) The only rule they need apply is "me first"

2) They must be in front of all traffic, regardless of speed and any associated risk involved with achieving the almightly feat of being "in front".

3) All other drivers should by some form of mental telepathy know exactly how important they are and should break road laws as long as they allow the special person through unimpeded doing 90 in a 60.

4) Stopping at a traffic light next to any car that may be in the slightest considered a "performance vehicle" is a trigger for the silly switch in their head to become active and signal a drag.

5) Tailgating is a sign of ultimate power over the driver in front.

6) Using their indicator stalk is a sign of weakness.

7) Stopping at amber lights is also a sign of weakness. Flooring it through the amber shows the ultimate coolness (especially if they overtake the car in front who has decided to obey the law), even if the light turns red before they are in the intersection.

Speeding, cutting people off and tailgating all whilst talking on the phone and sitting too low and too centrally in their car makes them wanted sex objects.

9) Driving is their right, not a privilege.

10) Letting another driver enter traffic in front of you shows you are weak. Pretending you haven't noticed them and blocking them in so you can gain 1 car length in peak hour traffic is better.

I would guess that any person who has caused a death on our roads by acting stupidly and irresponsibly lives the rest of their time regretting their actions. By then, it's too late. The problem is, it's only then that they realise how easy it is for something tragic to occur. Speeding is only ONE of the many issues that exist on our roads but I fear the attitudes that are the cause of these accidents are simply a mirror of our way of life - on and off the roads.

The fact the our government ignores the rest of these issues and chooses to focus on speed and the relentless fines for 64 in a 60 zone just pi**es people off further. I have been driving for 12 years and have never had a speeding fine (touch wood). I have also received no reward for that effort (and yes, it takes bloody discipline).

How about some reward for effort, thus giving people incentive to do the right thing? Fine them for being stupid, give them a rego rebate for long term "good behaviour". I am constantly fed up with being harrassed for obeying the law. Where's my incentive to continue? From what I see on our roads, driver training is a disgrace. Put some of those fines back into proper driver skills training so that even if some d**k wants to act with a bad attitude, he or she may in the least have some idea what to do if they end up in the

Just think of the 78 people who are no longer with us as of December 23. How many could still be with their families with a better overall attitude to our driving?

education is the answer, god we push it so hard in everday life but as soon as it comes to driving its, can u reverse park? I saw an article on tv where it was stated that a 28y/o male who was a paraplegic would cost the state a min of 17 million in medical bills and rehab. So it seems that secretly the gov would prefer u to die in an accident. Common sense has to prevail somewhere. It must be cheaper to train people better than to keep paying for the aftermath. QLD had 19 deaths but had 60 serious injuries. God knows how many minor injuries. When are we as the public going to informed unbiasedly on what actually causes these "accidents". I dont know of one person being fined for being too tired. The government wants to keep beating the drink driving and speeding issues (and these are valid issuses) because they are enforcable and they make a sh*t load out of them. Lets train our kids, and f*ck the government, when my kids are old enough to drive I will pay for them to do an advanced driving course myself, my kids will drive when I think they are ready not when they can reverse park, and to any one who complains about the government and the road toll, what are you doing for yourself and your family to protect them.

On the other hand, drive up the Pacific Highway in northern NSW, and it's one of the most frustrating drives in Australia; poor road, much traffic; local people driving under the speed limit and/or people pulling caravans; few overtaking lanes; lot of tired people towards the end of a long journey; it's a recipe for disaster.

Brian

Have to agree with you here about the Pacific Highway Brian. I have done at least 100,000km in the last few years. A large percentage of which has been done on the last undeveloped stretch of Pacific Highway left. That is between Coffs and Ballina.

Alot of the road is a narrow patchwork that in some places cant even support semis passing each other. Lines are faded and overtaking lanes are short and few and far between.

In that time I have nearly been wiped out four or five by people forcing past me and pushing me off the road, or coming out into my lane while I am overtaking. People constantly tailgating and driving with too narrow gaps but only overtaking at a 5km higher speed than the other car.

People not using indicators at all, or leaving them on. Car's driving with high beam and fog beams on (SS's and WRX's are blinding even in daylight), caravans doing 80 overtaking caravans doing 77.

Basically people from all states and all ages driving all kinds of cars with little regard for other roadusers and little respect for poor quality roads.

I believe that this is the root cause of our Road Toll. Lack of respect and lack of patience.

Lumpy

Driving down the Hume at a legal 110kph is guaranteed to put anyone to sleep, the authorities are completely out of touch with reality. The speed limit should be at least 130kph. I believe they think we drive EH Holdens or XY Fords.

Agreed Brian, but some people actually do drive these types of cars and ones even older and crappier. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a current model car with super size Brembos and super sticky Pirellis. The authorities have to take into account the worst conditions (fog + rain + night) and the worst driver (grandpa Joe) in the worst car (old Falcon/Expensive Daewoo etc). They can't have different speed limits for all the different combinations of drivers and cars and conditions so they err on the side of caution. I'm not sure what the solution is.

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Putting it bluntly, those old cars shouldnt be on the road. If we are to let them drive on the road, yearly mechanical checks should be mandatory. If people cannot afford to

Funny how we all asume all cars can do 130kph, my first Esky panel van only did 120kph flat bikkies, and that was the 1.6L, damned if I had the 1.3L

Plenty of them still on the roads. Love to come charging up behind one at <100kph when I'm doing 130... not.

Reality check ppl, P platers doing 130/135/more?? please. They can't stay alive as it is. How do you police that? Grandpas' doing 80 kph on the Hhy... see it all the time. Caravans?? Overtake one in an esky with oncoming traffic headed toward you at 130 kph?? BOOM.

It aint that easy.

Funny how we all asume all cars can do 130kph, my first Esky panel van only did 120kph flat bikkies, and that was the 1.6L, damned if I had the 1.3L

Plenty of them still on the roads. Love to come charging up behind one at <100kph when I'm doing 130... not.

Reality check ppl, P platers doing 130/135/more?? please. They can't stay alive as it is. How do you police that? Grandpas' doing 80 kph on the Hhy... see it all the time. Caravans?? Overtake one in an esky with oncoming traffic headed toward you at 130 kph?? BOOM.

It aint that easy.

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The Hume hwy I referred to is a divided road dual carriageway running for hundreds of kms. Head ons don't happen. The main reason for frustration is people not keeping to the left.

Brian

On the other hand, drive up the Pacific Highway in northern NSW, and it's one of the most frustrating drives in Australia; poor road, much traffic; local people driving under the speed limit and/or people pulling caravans; few overtaking lanes; lot of tired people towards the end of a long journey; it's a recipe for disaster.

Brian

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Have to agree with you here about the Pacific Highway Brian. I have done at least 100,000km in the last few years. A large percentage of which has been done on the last undeveloped stretch of Pacific Highway left. That is between Coffs and Ballina.

Alot of the road is a narrow patchwork that in some places cant even support semis passing each other. Lines are faded and overtaking lanes are short and few and far between.

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That's because you are getting closer to Qld - outside of the Brisbane metro area the roads are absolute crap up here. They have nothing on the NSW roads. 200m long overtaking lanes that often have a mobile speed camera perched on the side of them are just fantastic!

Unless they start teaching drivers how to think for themselves and drive to the conditions rather than the speed limit sign the only alternative is to improve the roads. But then how many people go over 60km/h in their license test? How many fatalities occur under 60km/h?

However, from now on, in any dd period, just 1 minor booking and I’ll lose my licence; now that stinks.

Hey Brian if you need someone to go to melb and drive your T back just give me a call

Not because I want to I just dont wont to see you lose your licence and I know I wont fall asleep

CYA JEFF

I think this holiday road toll enforces one thing.........negative re-enforcement is not the answer. Too quickly our pollies, road safety 'gurus' and police immediately scream for tougher penalties for people not obeying the rules the second some catastrophy hits our highways, in this case the holiday toll. Take Victoria, has the most dreconian road rules of any State, more cameras than a Princess Di's photo shoot and still they have recorded one of the higest road tolls.

A much more proactive approach is needed, the so called experts in the past have 'poo-pooed' any sort of reward for good driving and other such reforms from countries like Canada even though these innovations have proved sucessful in reducing road tolls.

My two diars worth.